Student Spotlight
Sarah AlTouq
Command Education empowers students from across the globe to achieve their personal and academic goals. Our mentors work one-on-one with students from Saudi Arabia as they craft their application profile over the course of their high school career and navigate the intricacies of the American application system.
Senior mentor Chloe Campbell has worked with Sarah AlTouq, a junior at an international school in Riyadh, for a year and a half. While Sarah had a sense of her interests and hobbies when she began working with Command, the mentoring experience equipped her to better articulate her passions and set her on a new path for her future. We sat down with Sarah to discuss her passions, college and career goals, and how Command Education has shaped the trajectory of her academic journey.
What Sarah accomplished:
Founded her own digital platform for budding tech enthusiasts
Spearheaded the formation of student government at her school
Secured a social media and content creation internship with Moonfame
Discovered her passion and chose to major in Computer Engineering
What are your interests and how do they relate to your intended major?
I am very interested in technology—my love of video games and building technology led me to an interest in computer engineering as a college major. As a kid, I used to take apart DVD players (I probably ruined about twenty of them), then gaming consoles, and in the last couple of years it has escalated to taking apart and rebuilding keyboards and PC computers. I am interested in building the technology for myself and hopefully selling my own technology products in the future, and studying computer engineering will be another step toward achieving that goal.
Describe your passion project and its evolution.
My passion project is ctrlBuild, which is a digital platform that teaches people about technology through videos and webinars about modifying and constructing tech products. It started with “tech for dummies” videos on YouTube, and I have expanded to posting content on Tik Tok about topics related to technology, whether humor videos or following the current trends on the platform. I have also hosted a workshop through ctrlBuild teaching kids with an interest in gaming to build their own keyboards so that they could personalize their gaming experience. It went really well but it was definitely tiring, so I plan to organize the next workshop for kids my age and teach more complex topics like how to build a PC. In the future, I would love to build my own keyboards and sell them on the platform.
How has Command Education helped you to develop your passions?
When I started with Command Education, I knew I enjoyed tech as a hobby, but I hadn’t even considered pursuing it as a major or career path. I was considering architecture or international relations. Through my passion project and working with Chloe, I learned how to put my passion to use and was able to come to the conclusion that I wanted to seriously pursue it.
Before I started working with Command, I wasn’t really doing anything outside of my schoolwork. I underestimated the amount of things I could do with my time, and Command has helped me to see that I have a lot of potential. I can do things that are impressive; I can turn my ideas and passions into action.
What other extracurricular activities have you participated in?
I do Model United Nations, and I recently attended a conference in The Hague. It has taught me not only how to do thorough research, but how to argue a position well—sometimes even a position you may not completely agree with. I also recently organized a donation drive, which I do every year for Ramadan. A group of friends and I pick up groceries and other necessities, box them up, and work with a local organization to get them to those who are in need.
Last year, I felt that there was a lack of communication between the administration and the student body, so I decided to revive the student government which had been inactive. I worked with some of my friends to launch a new student government—we made all of the forms, structured the voting process, encouraged fellow students to get involved, and even ran for office. I didn’t win last year, but I am considering running again next year.
Currently, I am interning with Moonfame, which is a company that offers workshops and educational opportunities for kids who want to get outside of their comfort zone. I have been an intern for a few months now and I have been tasked with their social media. I have made infographics, edited videos, and helped with brainstorming ways to better engage high schoolers with their content.
I think ultimately, I am drawn to getting involved in things that generate tangible results—I like to do things where I can see that I’ve made a difference and I’ve helped people. All of these things have challenged my perspective in different ways, and I have really enjoyed seeing things from a new perspective through these activities.
What are your future goals? How will you use what you learned with Command Education to achieve your goals?
After college, I eventually want to start a company making and selling my own hardware products and PC components. I would not have gotten to this conclusion without Command Education—these goals are a result of working with Chloe to identify my passions and turn my ideas into a reality. I am better at planning now, and my expectations are more realistic—I used to have crazy ideas and struggled to follow through with things, but now I have a clear sense of where I am and where I’m heading. I now know how to follow through with my goals.
YouTube listings of Sarah’s passion project videos, ctrlBuild.
Sarah’s passion included building a custom PC.
Website for Sarah’s passion project, ctrlBuild.
From Sarah’s Mentor
“Students start working with us at many different stages in the process. Whether they know their core passions and interests or are still discovering what excites them, we meet students where they are and help them turn their dreams into a reality. Sarah’s project is a testament to the Command Education approach—I’ve seen her not only build an impressive and unique admissions profile, but also discover the amazing things that she’s capable of.”
– Chloe Campbell
Command Education Senior Mentor
Command Education
Get Started